Baseball on the bayou – Daily Comet

A collection of some of the top current and former homegrown college baseball players to come through the area in recent years are uniting to hold a youth baseball camp in December.

The second annual Brock Hebert Baseball Camp will take place Dec. 20-22 at the South Terrebonne High School in Bourg and is open to players in first through eighth grades.

The cost is $70 per camper for one day, $120 per camper for two days and $150 per camper for all three days.

The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Lunch will be provided and check-in is set for 8:30 a.m. daily.

Hebert, a former South Terrebonne and Southeastern Louisiana standout who recently retired after a six-year minor league baseball career in the Seattle Mariners organization and who was taken in the 14th round of the 2012 draft, organized the clinic along with camp coordinator Mike Barba, a former South Terrebonne and Nicholls State University baseball player who is now the head baseball coach of the Gators.

Sponsors include the STIX Bat Co. and Terrebonne General Medical Center Community Sports Institute.

Infield instructors scheduled to attend include Hebert, Beau Freeman (former South Terrebonne and current Delgado Community College player) and Scottie Sanders (former E.D. White Catholic and current Southeastern Louisiana player).

Outfield instructors scheduled to attend include Barba, Blake Freeman (former South Terrebonne and current Delgado player) and Xane Washington (former Terrebonne High and current Nicholls player).

And catching instructors scheduled to attend include Cody Dufrene (former Thibodaux High and Nicholls player) and Zack Hebert (former South Terrebonne and LSU-Alexandria player).

“Some of the baseball knowledge that these guys have gotten and are still getting is something that you just can’t get around this area,” Hebert said. “They all learn things they can take back to kids our area. Some of them are still learning and the more of them coming in, the more they can give back to the kids, and it’s important for them to give back. The kids will get a lot of really good instruction and they can pick up some keys as they head into their (spring) seasons.”

Barba said he too is thrilled to have such a talented group leading the youth players at the camp.

“We are beyond excited to have this group of coaches come in and help give back to their community,” Barba said. “After last year’s camp we sat back and analyzed what we could do to make it better and we wanted to add more coaches so they could extend the time they spend with the kids. We don’t want this camp to be like any other baseball camp. We want this camp to mean something to the kids and coaches involved and want the kids to have a great experience and learn not only the basic fundamentals of the game, but hopefully learn some advanced skills as well.”

Last year’s camp featured over 70 campers during the inaugural event, and this year’s camp will be three hours longer each day for the kids to get even more instruction from the counselors.

“I thought last year really exceeded expectations,” Barba said. “We had 70 kids and they were such a good group. They were amazing. It was so fun to work with them. The feedback and reviews of the camp we got were very reassuring and that is why we want to do it again.”

Those who register by Dec. 1 will be guaranteed a shirt. Any leftover shirts will be sold for $10. Team discounts of 10 or more players are also available.

Patrick Labat will also speak at the camp. He is a Terrebonne General Medical Center Community Sports Institute certified strength and conditioning specialist, and also a former South Terrebonne athlete and Louisiana-Lafayette graduate who worked closely with the Cajuns baseball and football teams.

“He will talk about the importance of strength and conditioning in regards to athletics as these kids continue to grow,” Barba said.

Hebert said he hopes to keep the camp going for years to come.

“If this thing keeps growing, Mike and I will definitely keep it going,” Hebert said. “We will bring in more and more coaches from other areas. I think the kids enjoy it and I know the coaches enjoy it. It’s a great way for us to give back to the community and to show kids from this area that they can achieve their baseball dreams.”

To sign up or for information visit sth-tpsd-la.schoolloop.com/baseball or email brockhebertbaseball@yahoo.com.